This story is so sad and upsetting. AK should step down immediately. A few years ago Campbell Harvey suggested the data and code disclosure policy as AER does to all the finance top 3 journal editors. Now I understand why AK refused it.

I have had private conversations with more than one AE/Editor at RFS and all the people I spoke with are upset with goings on there with respect to SK. But, as usual, they are too scared and/or too fond of their position to do anything about this. It is a sorry state of affairs for the profession when even established players are afraid to rock the boat in order to do the right thing.

It seems like part of the rush to judgement is that SK’s Dad AK appears to have taken too many steps to try to advance SK’s career at the expense of others and the profession. There seem to be many threads on this problem. The evidence is overwhelming. It seems like their bad behavior has caught up with them. I don’t know these guys to make personal judgement, but with a pattern of bad behavior them seem to be getting exactly what they deserve.

The conflict of interest is obvious. There’s a very small number of A journals and an assistant professor’s father is the editor of one of them. AK should have stepped down as editor the moment SK entered the profession. That would have been the honorable thing to do.

I think I can speak for the majority of accounting and finance people in saying that, if you had ever met SK before, this entire story (the initial fabrication, the dismissive brushing off of AY, and the final nonsensical and arrogant response) is what we would expect from SK.

Nothing will happened... power plays a role and MB won't have the guts

Aside from your obtuse comment, the reputation is damaged forever. Will anyone here referee a SK paper without having doubt creep in about the results? How about future editors who handle the papers? Reputation is everything in our line of work.